For the last 3 months my life has been taken up by the planning of a very special event, a charity fundraiser to educate and inspire local residents to start taking their health seriously, from every aspect. At this time of year we are plagued by weight loss and fitness ads from gyms and slimming centres, but the focus never seems to be on improving all round health, just the cosmetic.
Yes we all want to look good, but looks fade, and when they are gone what are we left with? If you haven’t invested your time and effort into your health then chances are not a lot, and more and more often we see that it’s too late to reverse the damage done. Think of your health now as laying the foundations for a long, healthy and happy future.
In September I attended an event, and I was lucky enough to watch Pete Cohen in action, he inspired me personally. I built a friendship with him and he offered to come down and speak to my clients, an offer I couldn’t turn down.
So I commit to running the event “How To Make 2014 Your Best Year Ever” in September and book the venue for January 16th, and I have Pete counting on me, now there was no going back.
For anyone that knows me you will understand that my life is busy, crazy in fact, and that’s without the organizing of an event of this size. Taking this on was a challenge for myself. To be able to successfully pull off the event whilst still holding onto my own health and sanity would be my main objective.
One thing is for sure, I care too much about what people think of me, my business and anything that I do in my life, I try not to care, but the fact is that I do so I have to accept that this is me. I’m a perfectionist. I’ve learned to make it work in my favour, it’s the reason that I have achieved what I have so far, and this event was no different. If I have committed to raise a substantial amount of money for an incredibly worthy cause and promised my clients and Mid Sussex residents that I WILL show them How To Make 2014 Their Best Year Ever, then that is what I was going to do.
There were times that I nearly gave up on the whole thing, I wanted a minimum of 8 of the best health, well being and personal care experts in the room, showcasing what their business’ can offer. I managed 10. Trying to organize this was not as easy as I had hoped. I only wanted the best, so that I could provide you with the best. I wasn’t about to get Pete down from London to speak in front of an audience of 3, I wanted a room packed full of excited people that were eager to learn and be inspired. So how the hell do I go about this? I relentlessly exhausted every avenue I could possibly imagine, flyer dropping, radio interviews and getting out on the streets and dragging people in!
As the event drew closer I had to accept the fact that I had done everything, and from that point on it was out of my control, but it’s safe to say that I was stressing out big time. Ironic really that I was organizing an event to help people take care of their health and mine was deteriorating!
So the evening arrived and there was the mammoth task of setting up the hall, getting all the stands ready, goodie bags lined up and making sure all the speakers were ready to go up on stage and absolutely smash it! I couldn’t believe the professionalism in the room as everyone turned up early and set up their stands without even a hiccup. Seeing everyone together made me proud to work in this industry and to live in Mid Sussex. We have some incredible local talent, entrepreneurs that inspire me to be better at what I do and we all have the same end goal, to provide our clients with the best possible service.
As the doors opened and guests started to roll in, a local choir ‘No Strings Attached’ entertained from the stage. There was a buzz in the air as people were chatting to exhibitors and taking advantage of the exclusive offers that they had bought with them for the night. A queue of people were lined up for a free spine check with Lindfield Chiropractic Centre, Discounted Bras were flying out the door from Lemongrass Lingerie. The promise of a set of £700 diamond earrings, handcrafted by RTFJ bespoke jewellery for the raffle meant that tickets were selling like crazy. Bird Food had cooked up some amazing healthy treats to feed our guests and unsurprisingly the stand always looked busy. Chestnut Tree House were represented at the door and a video played on loop to remind everyone of the reason we were there, to raise funds for this amazing cause. As over 120 people took to their seats I felt an overwhelming feeling of pride, yes it had been a massive stress and taken up my time for the last 3 months, but everyone had clubbed together to help me and I started to think maybe I shouldn’t have been so worried after all!
The evening was great, Lucy Bantham-Read from LoveUrSoul kick started the evening beautifully, she has a very inspirational and endearing women who has used her own experiences to help others. She spoke about health from a holistic point of view and set the tone for the night. Closely followed by Pete Cohen who bursts onto stage with a childlike energy that lures you in, you just can’t stop watching the man. Pete sends you on a rollercoaster of emotion, when he speaks it feels as though he is speaking only to you, you laugh, you cry, you think. Next up Dr Jenny Layton gave us a great insight into taking care of your health through managing pain, it’s something that we all face at some point and can be totally debilitating when it happens. Some of you will know that I have dealt with my own personal injury that at points has left me unable to move let alone train my clients, not ideal. I went to see Jenny in November and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have now been pain free for 6 weeks, I feel stronger, happier and healthier than ever before.
Then it was my turn, a little scary when you look at the standard of speakers that we had throughout the evening but I have to admit, I love Public Speaking!! For some people it’s there worst nightmare but for some reason, when I get up there I feel totally at home and could speak for hours, I’m surprised they didn’t drag me off the stage!
The evening came to a close and Jayne from Chestnut Tree House announced that we had raised £1400 just on the night, an amazing amount of money that will go towards supporting the children and families that use the hospice.
The feedback from people as they left the event was great, there was an excitement because people felt motivated to achieve their goals and take control of their lives, JOB DONE!!
The relief of it all being over was immense, I am so proud of what we achieved and the fact that we inspired people to sign up to our programme and change their lives for the better means we have succeeded!
Yes it was very stressful and I nearly gave up a few times, but would I do it again? HELL YES!
It’s the same as everything, it’s what I teach people every day. If you want to achieve something brilliant then you are going to have to work hard and face tough times at some point. At times you will want to give up, but you keep fighting because the sense of achievement at the end is so worth it.
Now it’s time for a little bit of rest, I have to practice what I preach and recharge the batteries……ready for the next challenge that I decide to take on!!
If you would like to claim your FREE gifts from Potential PT and our event partners, or if you would like to donate to Chestnut Tree House then please visit our event page www.haywardsheathchallenge.co.uk or call 01444 484129.
